Saturday, August 28, 2010

Oh and re:Tycho again

So I went ahead and read that post from Tycho...

"What I have said is that the end result of that purchase from a developer perspective must be indistinguishable. Isn't it? That is the question I couldn't answer. I still can't answer it. And because I couldn't, I had to change the way I invested my leisure dollar."

Well, that's not so bad...

"People want to talk about used cars, or libraries, or any other thing really, but I'm not talking about the universe in general - I'm talking about the tiny part of it I have any control over. That bit up there is the part I can't resolve: the moral dimension contained within the purchase. Yes, I'm giving somebody money when I buy used. Is that sufficient? What is the end result, and what systems am I sustaining by doing so?"

Well, okay, it looks like he's just saying that he's not trying to claim the moral high ground, he's just, y'know, choosing to spend his dollar a bit more carefully re: gaming industry. That seems-

"I'd rather not think about things like this, believe me. I'd rather be Mr. Perpetual Good Times, but I'm not built that way. On the whole, I'd say thinking has been a tremendous inconvenience."

Oh you goddamn two-faced motherfucker. As if it isn't bad enough you've essentially boiled down every used game purchaser to a pseudo-pirate via thinly-veiled insults of if you want to support developers then you're a thief, now you're just upfront calling us all oblivious idiots. We just don't think about these sort of things - we're not blessed with your kind of brilliant intelligence and fat stacks of cash, so we're just humble peasants.

I suppose Penny Arcade's own pompous-ass class treatment of the remainder of the world isn't anything new - they do seem to make fun of everyone who isn't themselves - but as a pair of everyday gamers who create a comic strip about video games I would have hoped their own origins would keep them from being snidely condescending, but nope, instead their own gender/class/race privileges are so convenient and nice, so lets chide others for not having them.

As I said - the secondhand market is nothing new. It's a staple part of any production of materials for entertainment such as books, CDs, comics, and yes gaming. Gamestop gets crazy amounts of money via the trade-in system, money that could otherwise go to the developers, and some of their business practices are less than reputable. But blaming me - the everyday consumer - for going with the path that is most beneficial for me paints me as a criminal because I'm not blessed with Tycho's altruism (which is to say, disposable income) is an asshole thing to do, and both men are assholes for saying it.